Pray For Your Bully
Romans 12:17-19
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Why does God want us to pray for the people who bully us and others?
We live at a time and in a culture where, as Sean Connery said in the movie, ‘The Untouchables’, “He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue! That’s the Chicago way.” Responding to evil with good goes against our desire for justice. The problem with man’s justice is it’s so full of self. When someone is harassing us, how do we overcome evil with good? This is where we get a chance to truly live out our faith in real time.
Hebrew 11:6a
Without faith, I can do nothing.
In the heat of the, being harassed moment, of course we want to fight back. It takes faith to overcome the flesh. Because of our faith, we don’t go to the dark side to deal with injustice. Instead, we battle darkness with light.
We worship a Savior who suffered greatly at the hands of evil men. Instead of summoning thousands of angels to come down and wipe out everyone who was involved in His crucifixion, He died on the cross because of His love for them and us. Instead of getting even, God wants us to turn to Him for the strength to overcome evil with good.
Jesus prayed for His enemies when he was facing death, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What a witness it would be if we can follow in His footsteps and repay evil with good. Let’s commit beforehand to pray for those who persecute us. It’s not the Chicago way, it’s the Kingdom way. It’s a better way.
Are you willing to consistently pray for one of your enemies? (Matthew 5:44)
It may change your heart towards that person.
